‘I’d rather take them down’

It appears that the Los Angeles Dodgers are not the favourites to land free agent Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai.

In fact, Imai suggested he’d like to sign elsewhere to “take them down.”

Imai told former MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka on the Japanese show Hodo Station that while joining the Dodgers alongside fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki would be fun, so would getting to play a part in denying them their third straight World Series.

“Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki,” Imai said via MLB.com’s Michael Clair and Ayako Oikawa, “but winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I’d rather take them down.”

Imai also said he wasn’t even necessarily looking to join a team with another Japanese star.

“If there were another Japanese player on the same team, I could just ask them about anything, right?” Imai said.

“But that’s actually not what I’m looking for. In a way, I want to experience that sense of survival. When I come face-to-face with cultural differences, I want to see how I can overcome them on my own — that’s part of what I’m excited about.”

Imai was posted by the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Japanese League last week and has until Jan. 2 to sign with an MLB team.

According to MLB’s posting agreement with Nippon Professional Baseball, a posting fee would account for 20 per cent of the first $25 million the player receives on a major-league contract. It then drops to 17.5 per cent of the next $25 million and 15 per cent of any amount over $50 million.

The 27-year-old was 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings pitched spread out over 24 outings this season. He has a career NPB ERA of 3.15 and has pitched his entire eight-year career for Seibu in the Pacific League.

Imai is the second major free agent from NPB to be posted this off-season, joining Yakult Swallows power-hitting infielder Munetaka Murakami. His posting window officially ends on Dec. 22.